Mooring bitt



Jan. 11, 1944. H, c, slsKA 2,339,034

MOORING BITT Filed Nov. 3, 1941 HENRV c. SISKA INVENTOR B V ATTORNEYPatentecl Jan. 11, 1944 i UNITED STATES l9ATENT OFFICE MOORING BITIlHenry C. Siska, Grosse Pointe Park, Mich.

Application November 3, 1941, Serial No. 417.729

4 Clams.

This invention refers to fastening devices, and, particularly, that typeof device known broadly as a mooring bitt or cleat. My herein disclosedbitt is particularly useful for mooring purposes on a small sailboat,although it can be used for many other similar purposes, wherever it isdesired to moor a line without danger of fouling when the boat is underway.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a bitt or cleat foruse as above indicated which will hold a line securely and yet whichmay, by a simple operation, be rendered non-fouling.

A further object of this invention is to provide a cleat or mooring bittwhich will hold a line securely fastened thereto and yet which by asimple operation will free the said line for removal therefrom when theline is otherwise difficult to manipulate by reason of being wet orfrozen.

The hereinafter described and disclosed cleat or mooring bitt, togetherwith the particular features thereof, as described and claimed, aredirected toward the accomplishment of the foregoing named purposestogether with other objects and purposes which will be obvious uponinspection thereof.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a top view of the bitt assembled for operation. Figure 2 isa side view partially in section of the bitt assembled for operation.

There has been for a long time a sorely felt need in the operation of asmall sailboat for a cleat which can be placed on or near the stern ofthe boat for fastening a line thereto which will securely hold the sameand yet which cleat can,

by a simple operation, be rendered non-fouling 13- so that as thesailboat is being operated and the boom thereof swings from one side tothe other, a line or loop hanging from said boom cannot catch or foulupon the cleat to cause inconvenience or serious difficulty to theoperator of the sailboat. There have been many types of fasteningdevices suggested to answer this purpose, but they have universally beenrejected as being either inoperative for the purpose or too complicatedto be practical.

There has also been for a long time felt a serious need of a mooringbitt or cleat which, by a simple operation, will immediately release theline from the said fastening when the line is difficult to manipulate byreason of being wet or frozen. For this purpose also there have beenmany devices suggested, but they have universally een rejected as eitherincapable of serving the proposed function or as being too complicatedto be practical.

Lit

Accordingly, I have developed and herein described and disclosed asimple device for accomplishing both of the abovementioned majorpurposes, which is both entirely effective to accomplish either of saidpurposes and is sufficiently simple to be negligible in cost and certainin operation.

Turning now to the drawing, there is shown at I the body part of myimproved bitt having a lateral opening I-a therethrough. Into thisopening l-a there is fitted a pin 2 which is provided with acircumferential groove 'l at its midportion, and an opening 8 near oneend. Body part i is also fitted with a threaded opening at I b for thereception of partially threaded stud 3, which is of length convenient tohold firmly body part l onto whatever object it is to be fastened, suchas the deck of a sailboat. The sides of body part l are sloped at l-cand the top rounded as at I-d. Body part l on the top thereof has anopening l-e which extends from the extreme topmost portion of body partI axially through to the opening I a, leaving, however, a small fiange 9at the inner extremity of the opening i-e.

Into the innermost end of said opening I-e is fitted stop member 5,which is preferably of generally conical form and has a rounded end.Behind stop 5 is fitted spring 4 and the plug 6, which latter isconveniently held in proper relationship With body part l by beingthreadedly associated therewith.

The operation of the bitt is obvious from a mere inspection of thedrawing. Body part i is fastened firmly to any suitable base, such as adock or the deck of a sailboat, by member 3, which may be fully threadedfor reception into a mounting plate (not shown) or other mo-untingmeans. Pin 2 is inserted into position as shown in the drawing and heldagainst sliding in either clirection by stop member 5 fitting intocircumferential groove 'I and being held tightly in said groove byspring 4.

As thus assembled, the bitt functions as any ordinary cleat. It isobvious, further, that to render the same non-fouling or to release aline which has been fastened to the bitt, it is necessary merely toremove the pin 2 by pulling it out from the opening |-a. Any line whichhas been fastened to the cleat will then be immediately releasedregardless of how wet and stiff it may be. Further, the pin 2 may belaid aside and as the sheet line of the boat swings back and forthacross the stern of the boat as the boom swings back and forth, it willmerely strike the sloped sides or the rounded top of body part I andpass on Without being caught or fouled as in presently known cleats. Theopening 8 has been provided through pin 2 in order that said pin mayconveniently be hung on a hook or held by a cord to prevent it frombeing lost while disassociated from body part i. When it is desiredagain to moor a line to this improved fastener, pin 2 is merelyre-inserted into the opening l-a Where it causes the stop member 5 tomove against the spring until the groove 'l is in position for said stopmember, under the urging of said spring, to move into said groove bywhich again to hold said pin against some accidental movement out of thebody part l.

It is obvlous that the iiange is intended to keep stop member Ei inposition Within the opening I-e when the pin has been removed from bodypart l.

There are, obviously, many Variations which may be made in my devicewhich will still embody the substance of my invention. The hereindisclosed and described device, however, has been selected for thepurpose of general illustration and it will be apparent to anyoneskilled in the art Wherein Variations can best be made to adapt thisarticle to various desirable specific uses.

Having thus fully disclosed and described my improved device, what Iclaim as my invention is as follows:

l. A mooring bitt coniprising in combination: e body part havingsyinrnetrically sloping sides and a rounded top; a ve 4ical threadedaxial opening in t' e lower portion thereof .for the threaded re en ofiastening stud; a horirough for the reception of the hereinaitermentioned pin member; an axial partially threaoed opening extending fromp of body part to said horiand last named axial opentop rnein of atieast partially conilocated within said last named assaoss 2. A mooringbitt comprising in combination: a body part provided With means forfastening the same to a base support and said body part being providedwith symmetrically sloping sides and a rounded top; a horizontal openingextending through said body part; a pin provided with a circumeferentialgroove lying snugly within said horizontal opening; an opening of onediameter in said body part, the aXis of Which is perpendicular to theaxis of said horizontal opening and communicating through at least aportion of its diameter with said horizontal opening; a member locatedwithin said last named opening of at least partially conicalconfiguration and extending therefrom into said horizontal opening toengage the above mentioned circumferential groove in the above mentonedpin; means associated with said body part for preventing said partiallyconical memember from moving entirely into said horizontal opening whensaid pin is removed therefrom; means contained within said opening Whichcontains said partially conical member for yieldably urging saidpartially conical member towards said horizontal opening.

3. A mooring bitt comprising: a body part having an opening therethroughand means fastening said body part to a base, a pin within said openingand said pin being provided with a oircumierential groove, a secondopening in said body part communicating with said first named opening, aIesiliently backed second pin Within said second opening normallyextending into said circumferential groove to hold said firstnamed pinin normal position, said groove or said second pin being beveled tofacilitate withdrawal of said first-named pin from said body part, meanslimiting the movement of said second pin when said first pin is removed.

4. A mooring bitt comprising: a body part provided With means fasteningsame to a base; a horizontal opening extending through said body part; apin having a oircumferential groove received within said opening inOperating position; a second opening in said body part communicatingwith said horizontal opening and having a reduced diameter in oneportion thereof; a stop member Within said last-named opening and eX-tending therefrom into said first-named opening and engagingthe'above-mentioned circumferential groove; said stop member cooperatingby a portion tbereof With the reduced diameter portion of the secondabove-named opening by Which said stop member is limited againstmovement out of said opening when said pin is not in operating position;resilient means urging said stop member toward said horizontal opening.

I-IENRY C. SISKA.

